Asked hv for advice about getting DD to nap...

[Cazee]

...and she said turn the radio up so I don't hear her cry...

oh she sounds an absolute delight

Im guessing you wont be trying that particular 'method'?

how old is she? (DD of course)

Oh dear!

How old is your DD?

13 weeks!

next time she comes round turn up the radio full blast so you dont have to hear her mad ramblings.............

OMG, what a stupid woman!
My Dp's mother was told by her HV that she should place baby at other end of the room as she needed to her strength back, and therefore would not here him cry. That was 33 years ago, you'd have thought we would have moved forward a little since then eh?

other end of house, not room! Doh

good grief. mad woman.

i would suggest, having a loose routine that you fit around your daughter's and family's needs.

I would put her in her pram with blankets etc about 1.5 to 2 hours after she wakes up, then take her for a walk somewhere, or rock her in the pram.

They still need lots of sleep at this age, can you give us an idea of what she is likely to do, day and night?

She gives really clear cues that she is tired, yawns, rubbs her eyes, and then starts complaining/crying. She wants to be rocked to sleep, but this can take half an hour or more, and then she wakes up when I put her in her cot and really cries, v distressed. I have left her for a few minutes, but she can't settle. Suckling to sleep worked for a while, but she now stops as she is full, is sick, and then is more cross than ever!

I wouldn't bother putting her in her cot TBH. Put her in the pram next to the washing machine - this is surprisingly effective. They don't NEED to go in their cots. Leave her in the pram. She may not sleep for more than an hour until she is a bit older anyway.

Best thing for my DD has always been to sleep with her. But not practical. If I or DP can sleep with her, she sleeps for up to 2 hours, if not usually half hour! she is 9mhts now, but been like this for a long time!

colditz, i think that is a super idea. When we are out she sleeps beautifully in her pram. It is much easier to rock that too.

We've never put ds in his cot for a nap as we want him to know his cot is for night time. At 14 month he has 2 naps a day in his pushchair. We just push him for a while and he sleeps for an hour or 2 twice a day.

I always did it with ds2, and he soon began to associate the pushchair with sleeping - I don't need to rock it now, he goes to sleep as soon as he is tired in there

Pram / pushchair worked for DS too. Was a nightmare napper when tiny, got very hassled about it thinking he 'had' to sleep in his cot, or, I don't know, his whole life would be ruined (too many bloody bossy baby books). But napped OKish with a little rocking in his pram. Still naps in his pushchair at nearly 2, I've never bothered trying to get him to nap in his cot again since he has a decent nap and sleeps well in his cot at night.
Harumph, health visitors.

We are having nap issues with DS (5 weeks) - as his night-time sleep improves, his daytime sleep seems to get worse! He will nap on me or DH but obviously that's not ideal all the time. He usually falls asleep when we take him out in the pram, but wakes up as soon as we get back home! We have tried him in the crib but he just won't have it. And he is becoming increasingly grizzly in the daytime between feeds. Plus, even though a week or so ago he was taking a dummy, now he's decided he doesn't like it and spits it out. And even BFing him doesn't guarantee that he'll fall asleep on me any more.

Please tell me this is just a phase?

Meg 5 weeks is so tiny. they often only sleep for 10 minutes every hour at this age. It will get better with age, I am sure of it - I will be surprised if he is doing the same thing when he is 8 weeks

he also may be a LOT hungrier than he was last week, and want feeding more often - 5/6 weeks is growth spurt time.

Thanks Colditz - I think it may be a growth spurt 'cause last night he was feeding every hour (thank goodness he can go three hours at night!).

Also I have decided he is going through an early adolescence, as he is bad-tempered in the day, sleeps erratic hours, has broken out in spots and communicates only in grunts

megbusset I am going through the exact same thing DD is 6 weeks and seem to be awake all day. We are managing about 5 hours in the night 11-4 or 12-5 then a bit longer til 8 or 9. But I often have 3hrs of constant feeding in the evenings too and then she won't settle in the moses basket.

I'm also having the same thing my DS is 6 weeks and hardly naps during the day -on a good day he'll sleep for an hour late morning then maybe half an hour if I take him out in his pram.
I'm wondering if some babies just sleep less (he's been really alert from day 1) or whether it's my fault for not giving him good sleep habits?

My friend is using GF methods and her baby sleeps loads during the day but then he seems less alert than my DS anyway.

Also so you think the amount of sleep they have in the day affects the night?

any thoughts?

another health visitor who needs shooting.

somebody pass me my rifle.

fuego!

one baby veteran here on mn once recommended you put your baby in the pram and then push the pram back and forth over a thin slipper it simulates the cracks in the pavement. i love that idea. it sounds perfect for a wet winter morning.

i imagine you could do the same thing with that little lip thing between rooms with laminate flooring.